Poignant
by Nilaf
Summary: A collection of Naminé x Riku one-shots/ multi-shots. First one-shot: Naminé searches for Sora in the darkness. Riku's heart calls out to hers.


**Poignant**

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**Author's Note: **Hey yo! Welcome to my little collection of Naminé x Riku oneshots/ multi-shots! If you haven't played Kingdom Hearts III and/or Re:Mind yet, this first story does contain some spoiler-y elements.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts, or any affiliated characters.

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**Chapter 1: I'll Follow You (Down Into the Dark)**

"_So just call me _

_You know I'll be waiting, for you _

_As you walk toward that redemption sound_

_You know I'll be the stillness_

_When you're shaking_

_And when you fall overboard_

_I'll follow you down…"_

-Lights "Follow You Down"

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_ She should have felt used to walking in the darkness, having walked through the Corridors of Darkness before. This darkness, however, felt entirely different. It felt heavy, threatening to suffocate her. _

Naminé walked around in the shadows, continuing her search for Sora.

"Sora!?" she called. No reply.

And the cycle thus continued: walk around, call for Sora, only to be given no response. Rinse and repeat.

The further she wandered into the dark abyss, the larger the ominous sensation the darkness gave grew. An intense shiver makes its way down Naminé's spine, spreading throughout her being. It causes her to have doubt in her method as to go about finding Sora. She knew putting matters into her own hands would be risky, but she couldn't think of any other way to help with the search.

'_Please,'_ she prays, _'let me find Sora.'_

As if someone had heard her silent plea, a dim light made itself known in the darkness. Intrigued, Naminé trudged toward it. She hopes that it will lead her to Sora (or at least guide her in the right direction).

She approaches closer toward the light, but for whatever reason, it seems to increase its distance from her. Naminé accelerates her pace, eventually turning into a run. She grows frantic as she runs closer to it, fearing that it would disappear, missing her opportunity of finding Sora.

She feels herself closing the distance between her and whatever contents the light held. However, darkness takes hold of Naminé's ankles, making her struggle. She attempts to free herself from its grasp, but the darkness continues to be relentless. Naminé stretches out an arm in hopes that the light would envelop her, allowing her to bask in its warmth. She gives a silent prayer, in hopes that Sora would be found in it.

"Sora!?" she calls one last time.

The only response she receives is silence.

The darkness continues to consume her being, dragging her further into its depths. A blood-curdling scream escapes from her lips before it swallows her whole.

* * *

Riku stands behind the glass as he checks on a slumbering Kairi. For the past year, he would make it a routine to visit, making sure that he can uphold the promise to take care of her, a promise that he made once made Sora keep; Riku figured that it would be up to him to ensure nothing happens.

"Don't worry," he says.

"We'll find him; he'll be here whenever you're ready to wake-up."

'_Whenever that may be…'_

A blood curdling scream interrupts his reverie; confusion and curiosity get the better of him. Riku exits the room, leaving Kairi to continue her slumber. He makes his way down the corridor, and spots Ienzo running toward him, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"Ienzo! What was that scream about?"

Ienzo catches his breath, regaining some of his composure.

"It's Naminé. She wanted to use her powers to trace any connection to Sora, in hopes of finding him. I'm not sure what happened, but she just let out a scream… and then her pulse suddenly dropped. We need to hur-"

Before Ienzo could finish his sentence, Riku made a frenzied dash down the corridors. Ienzo let out sigh as he turned around to follow Riku back into the direction in which he came from.

"Is there anyone looking after Naminé until we get the main lab?" Riku asked.

"Even is with her. He tried using potions and ethers, but nothing seems to be working thus far."

Concern grows even greater in Riku's mind. Even though he would never admit it aloud, he wasn't sure if he would be able to cope with losing someone else that he holds dear to his heart.

They reach the main laboratory, finding Even using more concoctions in attempt to bring Naminé out of her comatose state.

"Has there been any change?" Ienzo asks.

"Her pulse is barely present. It hasn't decreased any further, but if we don't do something quick, she may not be with us any longer," Even replied.

Riku looks over at the operating table where Naminé was laying. Her eyes had a clouded look to them, as if she had already-

'_You shouldn't think that way,' _Riku told himself.

"You- you said that her pulse is barely there…" Riku repeated out loud.

"That's right," Even replied.

Riku looked over at Naminé once more.

'_Maybe… just maybe…'_

He approaches her listless body. He places his hands on her above her heart, and begins to push hard and fast, creating compressions.

"Riku…I don't think we can do anything more for her," Ienzo says.

"We won't know if we don't try," Riku retorts.

'_I don't want to lose anyone else.'_

The chest compressions he administers begin to grow erratic as he grows even more frantic.

"Dammnit, Naminé! Snap out of it!"

As if by some miracle, Naminé gasps, jolting her body up from the table as she struggles to regain her breath. Riku gingerly rubs her back, hoping that it would soothe her breathing. Naminé brings her gaze toward Riku's face.

"Riku?"

"Welcome back," he says with a subtle smile as a wave of relief comes over his being.

Ienzo and Even observe the scene before them, unsure of what transpired and what caused Naminé to come back from the brink of death.

"Riku, could give us a few moments to check on Naminé?" Ienzo asks.

Riku gives a curt nod, and exits the room.

It's a few moments before he's allowed back in.

"Everything seems to be okay with Naminé. Her vitals seem to be back to normal," Ienzo says.

"Do you even know what could've been the cause to bring her back?" Riku asks.

"It's just a hypothesis, but maybe, your heart was calling out to hers," Even proposes.

"Can a heart be so powerful that it can bring someone back from the brink of death?"

"If that person has a place in your heart, I don't see why not."

Riku looks over at Naminé, who is staring down at her folded hands in her lap. He notices her form slightly shaking, still trying to cope with whatever she had saw.

"You make sure to escort Naminé to her quarters," Even orders. Riku gives a him a nod, and brings his attention back to Naminé.

"Are you able to stand?" he asks.

"I-I think so," she struggles to reply. Naminé slides off the table, only to find that her legs failing to support her. Riku grabs her arm, stabilizing her stance until she is able to regain her footing. With his arm wrapped around her torso, he assists her out of the laboratory.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay to walk on your own now?" Riku questioned.

"I am," she says.

As they continue their walk in the halls of Radiant Garden Castle, a pregnant silence grows between them, both unsure what to say to the other.

Unable to stand the quite atmosphere, Riku decides to clear the air.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I- I think I saw Sora," Naminé began. Riku's eyes widened to her admission.

"But," she continued, "I couldn't do anything. I saw him, and I was unable to help." The immense guilt over takes her body, causing Naminé to stop in her tracks.

"It was dark. But there was a light… before I could see if Sora was there, the darkness just took a hold of me…"

Tears begin to flow out, falling from her face. She looks down to the ground, unable to face Riku.

"I'm so sorry Riku."

Riku stares at Naminé. He places his hands upon her shoulders, in attempt to give her some form of comfort.

"What are you apologizing for?" he asks.

Naminé lifts her head to meet his gaze.

"…For not being able to anything more for Sora… for Kairi… for you…" she feels her face go red, embarrassed at what she had just said.

"What you did was more than enough. Besides…" he pokes at her forehead.

"If you didn't manage to come back, I don't think I would be able to keep myself together. I can't afford to lose anyone else. Especially you… again," he admits.

Naminé feels her face growing redder.

"You- you don't mean that…" she whispers.

"I do," he states.

He places her hand in his.

"C'mon. You need to rest."

She gives a slight nod. The two of them continue their walk toward her room.

The air between them is a bit clearer.

"Hey, Naminé?" Riku asks.

"Hm?"

"Next time, let me follow you into the dark."

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**Author's Note: **I haven't written anything on this site in a very long time, so I apologize if this story seems a little off (for a lack of a better term); this is also the first time that I've written anything for the KH fandom (even though I've been a fan for a long while). I might come back and update/ re- edit this part at some point; I just really wanted to get this first story done, especially after finishing Re: Mind and having this fresh on my mind. As for some of the other stories in this collection, be prepared for some AU, some OOCness, and some subject matter/topics that will be present in later stories.

I chose the lyrics mentioned at the beginning because not only do I think it describes the dynamic of Naminé and Riku in this particular story, I think it kind of suits the story of the trios/ character relations in the game series itself (that and I also enjoy Light's material, lol). Also, I've been watching The Vision of Escaflowne (first time ever), which acted as an inspiration for the scenario in this one-shot (episode 10 specifically). All that aside, please feel free to leave reviews, and any constructive criticisms are welcomed!

Happy Reading!

~Nilaf


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